Kenyan woman kidnapped by suspected Al-Shabaab militants in Garissa

A teacher was kidnapped on Monday at the Hagadera refugee camp in Dadaab, Garissa County, by people suspected to be members of the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab.OCPD Raphael Kimilu said police had not found the teacher, who is an employee of Windle Trust International, an NGO.

Mr Kimilu said he had dispatched a contingent of police officers to an area near the border where they believed the militants could be holding the victim, identified as Ms Judy Mukomwe Mutua, 32.

Initial reports indicated that a vehicle belonging to the NGO was on its way to the refugee camp when it was shot at by armed men at the junction between Hagadera and Dadaab.

The attackers reportedly took over the vehicle and abandoned it minutes later together with the driver, Mr Hassan Adan Adua.

However, they forced Ms Mutua into their vehicle and sped off.

ACTIVITIES HALTED

Activities at the camp came to a halt following the incident that happened in the morning.

Only essential services, such as distribution of food and medical care, were going on.

Following the kidnapping, Kenyans took to social media appealing for help to find Ms Mutua.

On Twitter, those who know her used the hashtag #HelpFindJudy to push the appeal for her safe return.

Al-Shabaab militants have made northern Kenya their playground, orchestrating several attacks and kidnappings.

On April 2, the militants raided Garissa University College and shot dead 147 people, most of them students.

Refugee camps in the area have been blamed for harbouring terrorists and the Kenyan government has been pushing for their closure.